11/01/2006
NEWS STORY
At a time when it is being suggested that both Italy and Germany 'lose' a round of the World Championship - both countries host two races at present - it has been revealed that the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which hosts the San Marino Grand Prix, is being given a government grant, thought to be around £7m, in order to carry out upgrade work.
The Imola track has been the subject of criticism for some time, a situation not helped by the emergence of new state-of-the-art tracks in Turkey, China and Bahrain.
Now, the government grant will allow a major upgrade, which will see the paddock re-located and enlarged, and a number of grandstands re-locate, most likely to where the old paddock and pits used to be.
The upgrade, due to begin following this year's Grand Prix, comes at a time when the home of the Italian Grand Prix, the Autodromo Nazionale at Monza, is under pressure from local residents regarding noise levels.
At a court hearing on Tuesday, it was revealed that those taking action against the historic race track are aiming to settle the issue out of court.
This would suggest that having moved into the area after the Autodrome was built, the families concerned are willing to allow racing to continue providing they are given the necessary dosh to allow them to go on holiday at Grand Prix time. They could further clean up by renting out their homes to teams and sponsors, though this probably hasn't occurred to them.